PEORIA, Ariz. -- Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik announced today that the team has returned Rule 5 selection INF Reegie Corona to the New York Yankees.

The Mariners 40-man roster is now at 36 players.

Corona, 22, appeared in 26 spring games, batting .281 (16x57) with 9 runs, 3 doubles, one home run and 7 RBI. He was selected by Seattle in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 draft from the Yankees on Dec. 11, 2008.

Per MLB rules, players chosen in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft must remain in the Major Leagues for the entire 2009 season. If the ML team wishes to option a player back to the minors, the club must first offer him back to his original team for $25,000 (half of the $50,000 claiming fee).